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Topic: Is it worth bringing a US car to the UK?  (Read 817 times)

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Is it worth bringing a US car to the UK?
« on: May 15, 2005, 08:06:25 PM »
I have a 2004 Honda Civic Si (the car was actually made in the UK, believe it or not).  I'm shortly to move to the UK from the US and was wondering whether it's remotely worth it to bring a US car into the UK.

Yeah, there's the issue of having the driver on the wrong side of the road.

I've read the first four pages of topics and have yet to see this one discussed.

Thanks for any advice, pointers, etc.


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Re: Is it worth bringing a US car to the UK?
« Reply #1 on: May 15, 2005, 08:50:58 PM »
Hi, Welcome ...  yeah, the subject has come up from time to time but quite a while back - so great to give it another airing  ;)

If you've got a cherished motor or a special reason you want THAT one then do bring it.  I'm a Brit and when Lisa (now my wife) moved over from the States she had her car shipped and we ran in here from '98 through to last year.  Great car  and we even sold it to someone who was taking it to France so it would be back on the right side of the road.

Problems - 1. Getting out of car parks with the barrier at the wrong side (and paying tolls). 2. Getting insurance for a non-UK variant; can be done but not every insurer will. 3. Pulling out to overtake.  4. Getting on to roundabouts where the other drivers look for a clue from your PASSENGER as to whether you're about to pull out. 5.  A few changes (e.g. fog lights) and registration issues when you first get here.  6. Low resale value for left hand drive cars in the UK.   BUT it was great to have Lisa's car and it was at least one thing that didn't change.

If it's last year's car you're probably proud of it rather than it being a cherished old friend?   I would tend to suggest sell rather than ship and I would guess that it won't make a huge financial difference either way - in fact I think the whole decision is subjective and either decision will be a good one.
 
I often say if big decisions are hard to make then really there's not much between the options  ;D

Edit to correct some typos I made last night
« Last Edit: May 16, 2005, 01:33:32 PM by GrahamE »
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Re: Is it worth bringing a US car to the UK?
« Reply #2 on: May 18, 2005, 07:52:51 AM »
As Graham mentioned, I brought my car. I hadn't planned to, but the buyer backed out at the last minute.

It's not impossible to drive a left-hand-drive car here, just trickier, for the reasons he's already given. Any advantages? Yes. I actually learned to drive on the left side of the road in a car that I knew how to maneuver without thinking. It was nice to have all my wits focusing on the road, rather than the additional problem of remembering the stick shift was now to be done with my other hand. But after a while I was anxious to move on to a right-hand drive car.

Would I recommend you bring your car? Probably not. I could have resold mine in the US for $3-5000, and it was 11 years old. (a Mazda Miata) Here it was just about a "we'll take it off your hands as a favor" trade-in.
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Re: Is it worth bringing a US car to the UK?
« Reply #3 on: May 18, 2005, 08:45:03 PM »
Personally, I think the problems of having a LHD car here are often grossly overrated.  I've had left-hand drive here for a good many years, and never encountered anything I would really call a major snag. 

I will admit though that living in rural areas means that barriers on parking lots and similar potential difficulties are pretty rare, so it may be a little different if you're living in the city (my old Pontiac with a bench seat was best for that if traveling alone -- Just knock it into neutral and set the brake for a moment and slide across the seat to the passenger window). 

Whether it's worth the paperwork and costs to import is another matter.  Newer vehicles now have to go through the Single-Vehicle Approval scheme and you'll get tied up in all the red-tape of that, so it's actually easier to import an old classic now than a new car. 

By the way, regarding the issue of different lighting arrangements on modern British/European cars, you'll find that different MoT inspectors seem to interpret the rules in different ways.    Take turn signals as an example.   You'll find some who just see the paragraph in their manual which says cars built after 1965 must have amber signals on the rear and will refuse to accept combined red brake/turn signals.   Others take a more practical approach: "Well it was built like that and they work, so it passes." 

Just as you need to hunt around for insurance, it's also sometimes a good idea to hunt around for the inspection and find someone who isn't going to complain about petty little things like the absence of a rear fog light.
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Re: Is it worth bringing a US car to the UK?
« Reply #4 on: May 19, 2005, 07:48:16 AM »
Personally, I think the problems of having a LHD car here are often grossly overrated.  I've had left-hand drive here for a good many years, and never encountered anything I would really call a major snag.

I definitely agree. For those who question should I/shouldn't I, I tend to stress the emotional part of it over the technical. How much does your car mean to you? Have you named her? For me, mine was "the little red sportscar car" I always wanted and got when I divorced a complete jerk. Driving it here was sometimes very slight aggro, but no more than a shrug-it-off...and that's what tipped me to replace it.

That, and getting a new Miata.  ;)
Married to Graham, we run our own open-source computer training company in beautiful Wiltshire out of our 1814 Georgian Regency home (a former lodging house and once featured in Antiques Roadshow)


Re: Is it worth bringing a US car to the UK?
« Reply #5 on: May 30, 2005, 08:12:43 PM »
YES!
- We sold both of our cars before moving here and lost lots of money due to the poor resale value of a Ford. The estimated cost of bring both cars was $2000.00 each.
Where in the UK can you buy 2004 cars for 1000.00 pounds?
We are currently looking at buying new cars here (3 years no MOT & Warranty).
As corporate ex-pats, we are only here for a few years, and I guarantee the cars we buy will be going back with us this time.

Yes - There are drawbacks to LHD cars here, but ask yourself, are the drawbacks worth buying a US valued $14000 car in the UK for $28000?

Last - Parking in the city can be a pain, and yes they are expensive to operate as far as fuel goes. But price a Mini being sold in the US and compare the cost of the same car here in the UK. (Bring the cars - Deal with the politics, and SAVE thousands)

Best of luck,
- Michael


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Re: Is it worth bringing a US car to the UK?
« Reply #6 on: May 30, 2005, 08:38:45 PM »
Bringing a car over isn't worth it, IMO.  It depends on where you'll be living but if you are in the city, ie London, having a car won't be necessary. 

I'd rather buy a cheap car here than spend thousands of dollars to import a car, upgrade it to UK road standard and deal with having a LHD.  Driving on the right of the car reminds me to drive on the left side of the road.  Shifting with my left hand wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be.  Actually, driving here period isn't that difficult, and I regularly drive in London!
Love your life, poor as it is. You may perhaps have some pleasant, thrilling, glorious hours, even in a poorhouse. The setting sun is reflected from the windows of the almshouse as brightly as from the rich man’s abode; the snow melts before its doors as early in the spring. Cultivate property like a garden herb, like sage. Do not trouble yourself much to get new things, whether clothes or friends. Turn the old; return to them. Things do not change; we change. Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts…


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